Mail Order Film Processing UK

[twhittle]

Hello,

I want to get my 35mm C41 films processed and have small 6x4 prints made from the negatives. I specifically do not want digital scans made into prints (there is a good local shop here in Edinburgh that can do this).

I remember, not too long ago, that you could still get 6x4 prints made from your colour negs.

Has this had it's day? Anyone have a source?
I would also be interested in recommendations for mail order in the UK anyhow. . .

Cheers!

PS I know I could do it myself, but I just about have time to do B&W at the moment!

 

[Mongo Park]

Peak Imaging in Sheffield. Have a look at their website. www.peak-imaging.com

 

[joe bosak]

for mail order [but they scan & print as far as i can tell] peak imaging do a good job, fast turnaround too.

edit: snap!

 

[wojtek]

I've had great results with these guys a number of years ago: http://www.photo-express.co.uk/ - super-quick and no scratches.

It's a shame that there are no good developing places in Edinburgh. Trumps (who were always terrible any way) are dead, and there aren't any alternatives who aren't turning negs into pulp...

Cheers
Wojtek

 

[jcb4718]

I use

http://www.photofilmprocessing.co.uk/

They are good although now I only use their 'develop and CD' service.

 

[Pentudlian]

I also use Photo Express - first class, fast and competitively priced service time after time. Thoroughly recommended.

 

[ravilamir]

The one I use is Snaps Photo Services in Bournemouth.
Very good and cheap.
http://www.snapsphotoservices.com/

 

[Monz]

I have had good results from this place:

http://www.ag-photolab.co.uk/colour-processing-c41-10-c.asp

 

[twhittle]

Thank you for all of your suggestions.

Does anyone know the term for printing colour prints straight from a negative using a large automatic machine?

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Those machines scan and print. That's why/how I get my small (about 2 megapixels) scans on a CD for a pound when I get prints. If you call exhibition grade 300dpi then 5 x 7 is about 3 megapixels but I doubt if they print at 300dpi, and I doubt if anyone would notice based on my experiments.

The days when people put the negatives in an enlarger are long gone, as is the skill needed to do so. About 30 years ago (give or take a little) I can remember them scanning negatives at the back of the shop.

OTOH, enlargers, lenses and books about enlarging are being given away these days. So I guess every cloud has a silver lining.

Regards, David

 

[ian_watts]

Yes, I doubt whether there are any minilabs operating today using any kind of optical-through-the-neg print method. If I recall correctly, that method seemed to disappear towards the end of the 1990s. All the UK labs I know (which includes all those listed so far in this thread) use the scan-and-print Fuji Frontier type minilab technology.

 

[ronnies]

Have you tried A&M Imaging actually in Edinburgh, just of Newhaven Road?

Ronnie

 

[lrochfort]

I asked this exact question not so long ago and have not been able to find a lab that has an optically printing minilab machine. Everywhere seems to use a laser to expose a scan of the negative on to photographic paper that is then processed in chemicals as usual.

Personally I use Palm Labs in Birmingham because whilst not optical they use Kodak paper and I find that helps create an image that looks more like an optically printed print. Talking to Steve at Palm Labs he says that one advantage of the laser method is that they can control the contrast of the print very easily.

When I was in college around 1999/2000 I worked at Lymington Photo Express, which was a Kodak Photo Express franchise and we used a small Noritsu minilab. That still printed optically but even at that time was at the end of its operational life and Noritsu were phasing out support and spare parts. Almost all those machines were rented and once they were no longer supported by the manufacturer they were sold to India and Pakistan where I'd imagine they're still going strong.

I have prints on "Kodak Royal 8" paper that I made on that optical Noritsu machine in 1999 and for comparison I had Palm make laser prints from the same negs onto current Kodak paper. The prints are very good, but they do look different. Quite frankly I'd say they look like a scan. The optical print has a hard to describe quality about it that is less harsh. I wouldn't say the laser print is sharper at all, but it definitely appears more flat with lower dynamic range and a look similar to when sharpening has been applied.

I don't want to descend into a vinyl vs cd type debate, but it's an analogous situation as far as I'm concerned.

If anybody finds an optical minilab in the UK, please let me know!

 

[twhittle]

Thank you again for all this information. I am saddened to think that this type of mini-lab system is defunct.

I have indeed tried A+M Imaging and have had mixed results. Sometimes my negatives are scratched and/ or have a residue on them. I am also not too keen on their prints as they appear to be low res scans printed quickly.

What I really want to do is shoot 35mm colour film and not have to scan the images until I have little prints. I used to do this and throughly enjoyed it until I could only afford to use B&W.
Does anyone have a remedy for this workflow?